NOIDA, UTTAR PRADESH — The investigation into the death of software engineer Yuvraj Mehta has intensified as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) officially began cross-examining police and disaster response officials on Wednesday, January 21, 2026. This follows explosive allegations from an eyewitness who claims he was “scolded” and “scripted” by local police to cover up their failure to enter the water.
Mehta, a resident of Tata Eureka Park, drowned early Saturday morning after his Grand Vitara plunged into a 30-foot deep, waterlogged excavation pit in Sector 150. Despite being alive for nearly 90 minutes and calling his father for help, he perished as official rescue teams allegedly stood by.
1. Eyewitness Bombshell: “I was given a script”
Moninder, a delivery agent and the only person who braved the freezing water to find Mehta, has alleged that Noida Police attempted to intimidate him into lying.
- The Alleged Intimidation: Moninder claims he was taken to a park near the Knowledge Park police station where officers scolded him for telling the media that rescuers hesitated to enter the water.
- The “Script”: He alleges police recorded a video of him reading a pre-written statement claiming that “cops were inside the water making every effort.”
- The Truth: Moninder told Hindustan Times that he was terrified but decided to stick to the truth. “If help had arrived just ten minutes earlier, Yuvraj would be alive today,” he stated.
2. SIT Probe: Bureaucratic Blame Game
The three-member SIT, led by ADG Bhanu Bhaskar, spent Tuesday and Wednesday at the Noida Authority’s Sector 6 office.
- Summoning Officials: Individual officers from the Police, Fire Department, and SDRF were summoned to explain the 90-minute delay between the first SOS call and actual water entry.
- Lapse in Equipment: The SIT is investigating why initial teams arrived with ropes that “fell short” and why heavy cranes and ladders were unable to bridge the gap to the submerged car.
- Administrative Negligence: Documents are being reviewed to determine why the Noida Authority ignored repeated requests from Sector 150 residents to install barricades and reflectors at the hazardous intersection.
3. Timeline of the Fatal Friday Night
The autopsy report has confirmed that Mehta died of asphyxia due to drowning followed by cardiac arrest.
| Time | Event |
| 12:00 AM | Mehta’s car plunges into the pit; he climbs onto the roof and calls his father. |
| 12:15 AM | First police teams arrive at the site in Sector 150. |
| 1:30 AM | Mehta is still visible on the car roof; ropes thrown by police fall short. |
| 1:45 AM | Delivery agent Moninder arrives and enters the water alone. |
| 2:30 AM | Heavy rescue teams (NDRF/SDRF) finally arrive; car has already submerged. |
| 5:00 AM | Rescue operation concludes; Mehta’s body is recovered. |
4. Legal Action & Arrests
- Arrest Made: On Tuesday, police arrested Abhay Kumar, the promoter of MZ Wiztown Planner Pvt Ltd, from Sector 150.
- Charges: An FIR remains active against Lotus Greens Construction and MZ Wiztown under sections 105 (Culpable Homicide) and 106 (Negligence) of the BNS.
- Car Recovered: After a six-hour operation on Tuesday, the Grand Vitara was finally fished out of the pit by an NDRF team.